Tags
Related Posts
Share This
Rafael Van Der Vaart
Rafael Van Der Vaart
Honours
- Spanish Super Cup: 2008
- Dutch Eredivisie: 2002, 2004
- KNVB Cup: 2002
- Dutch Super Cup: 2003
- European Player of the Year: 2002
Career:
- De Kennemers (1987-1993)
- Ajax (1992-2005)
- HSV Hamburg (2005-2008)
- Real Madrid (2008-present)
- La Liga debut:Match:
- Real Madrid debut: 17 August 2008Match: Valencia 3-2 Real Madrid
- International for Netherlands
Read on for some more info.To put it in a nutshell, Van Der Vaart is an extremely gifted player. He plays more like a scholes of some sort than like a Gattuso (obvious for people who watch football regularly, not so obvious who want to know about Real Madrid players). Van Der Vaart is a versatile attacking midfield player who can do lots of things with the ball.To put it in tennis terms (don’t know why, but I love doing this), Rafael Van Der Vaart does not play like Rafael Nadal. Van Der Vaart plays more like Novak Djokovic rather than Roger Federer.
The Good
- He can play the ball with both of his feet (not necessarily shoot with both)
- He can create and score which is always an exceptional ability for a midfielder
- He is an upgraded version of Deco (a Chelsea player)
- Van Der Vaart can take fantastic free kicks
- Can run with the ball
- Can beat players in one on one situations in the midfield
- Can finish unlike most midfielders, Ronaldinho, kaka, Gerrard and Lampard being the exceptions
- Van Der Vaart can defend very well for a player with his attacking abilities
- Is a team player which always help as he doesn’t always go for glory like C.Ronaldo or if you twist my arm then you can include Messi here too, but Messi is too good, he deserves to be selfish.
- Has a pretty good footballing brain, can think of different things in different situations. Not like Shaun Wright Philips (Manchester City’s winger), who does not has a good footballing brain.
- Is consistent, like Van Nistelrooy, so not like his compatriot Arjen Robben.
By Footballing brain I mean, being able to take the right decisions at the right moments. Zidane was a master of it. Philips is the worst example of it. He seems to be lost whenever he needs to think about a situation, otherwise, he just knows how to take defenders on.
Anyway this is not about Wright Philips, This section is about Van Der Vaart, who is a very very likable player
The Bad
- As all dutch players, he is very unpredictable. I can’t say he will be at Real Madrid the next season. Dutch players USUALLY have a bad attitude and always at one point or another in their careers have huge bust ups with their coaches.
- Hasn’t yet should strength in the white Jersey.
- Don’t know if he can head the ball
- Sometimes can be over creative which can lead to possession loss
- Unfortunately, his potential is limited as far as I have seen of him in recent times. Players like Robinho, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho have unlimited POTENTIAL. There are some things Van Der Vaart simply can’t do like score a Maradona goal, but with Messi, Robinho, Ronaldo, you are always expecting something out of the ordinary.
This is what I have noticed so far in this short spell of Van Der Vaart at Real Madrid. May be, he’ll improve in the coming years. He has his best years ahead of him. May he remain at Real Madrid for another 5 years. I think we have a very very special player in our hands. Sniejder and Van Der Vaart can bring havoc in the midfield when their mood is right.
